


Stop me before I fall

by Thighz



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Post-Omnic Crisis, Pre-Omnic Crisis, SEP era, new lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 13:14:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12682632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thighz/pseuds/Thighz
Summary: Heavy is the head that wears the crown.Jack and Gabriel wear warring crowns, but it didn't start out that way.For the R76 Reverse Bang





	Stop me before I fall

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the Reaper76 Reverse Bang!
> 
> You can find the absolutely _breathtaking_ artwork [here!](http://zyloa.tumblr.com/post/167380339681/here-is-my-piece-for-the-r76-reverse-big-bang-it%20by%20the%20amazing) by the amazing [Zyloa!](http://zyloa.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _Enjoy ___

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watching Jack fight has always been an experience. One Gabe could watch on repeat for the rest of his life and never grow bored. Which is probably saying more about Gabriel than Jack himself. 

The first time Gabriel watched him fight, it stopped him in his tracks. 

They were all fresh out of recovery from the SEP and gung-ho to test the limits of their new bodies. It was a heady kind of strength, Gabe found out. Except he didn’t use his to wrestle enemies to the ground. Gabe wasn’t built to be the ramming rod. He was designed to cross enemy lines, to disappear and reappear at a moment's notice. His design was to ensure he could take out as many men behind the line as possible, so the ramming rods could penetrate and destroy with minimal casualties. 

But Jack-

Jack was neither of those things. 

Jack was all bright smiles and blue eyes and a hearty pat on the back. Up until he isn’t. Right until that moment when those blue eyes darken and his shoulders hunch in. He  _ looks _ like a ramming rod. A real, front-line, infantry-type man whose only goal is to plow down the enemy in front of him. Except that he isn’t. 

Jack takes no prisoners. He’s fierce to the point of cruel and you can see it in his eyes right before he attacks. He’ll use his fists before he pulls the trigger of a gun and you better hope you’re out of the reach of both.

Gabriel’s a masochist on the best of days, so of course he watched Jack fight and wished he was the one on the opposite side. Instead, he leaned up against the ring’s wooden post and watched the fight with dark eyes.

Jack takes out his fellow squadmate in a little under five minutes, a record among the best of them. The kid is flat on his back and scowling up at Jack, lip split and chest heaving. 

Jack’s barely broken a sweat. He stretched out a wrapped hand to help the other soldier up and it’s slapped away.

Gabe made an abortive step forward, reprimand on his tongue, but Jack’s actual squad leader breaks in.

“Show some respect, Galloway. Any other combatant would have left your sorry ass on the ground.” She sneered down at him as she entered the ring.

The downed soldier shoved up to his elbows and watched with envy as the woman clapped Jack on the shoulder, “Nice work, Morrison.” She turned to face the rest of the squad, “Alright, wrap it up and hit the showers. Alpha squad has the ring.”

A few disappointed groans erupted from the soldiers that didn’t get a chance to show their stuff. Most of them grab towels from the rack and chat amicably as they pass Gabe’s squad up in the direction of the showers. 

Gabe stood his ground as they weaved through his own unit, Jack lagging behind, rubbing a towel over the back of his neck. His eyes connected with Gabriel’s as he passed and a fission of heat settled in his belly. A heightened sense of smell brought him the salt on Jack’s skin and the meager amount of cologne from the morning briefing. 

Gabe shakes it out of his head as the sound of Jack’s unit dissipated behind him. He turns to his squad with a wide grin and open arms, “Whose ready to see if they can take me?”

One soldier in the back raises a tentative hand, the others grimace and glance away.

Gabe points to the raised hand, “Singer, you’re with me.”

  
  


\----

  
  


Jack’s muscles still ache something fierce, but at least they’re keeping up with the program’s fast-paced regime. The treatment damn near put him into a permanent coma and he’s lucky the good doctors were able to drag him back from the brink. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be out there handing asses out to his fellow squadmates.

Speaking of which, he glanced out of the corner of his eye where Galloway is scrubbing angrily under his armpits.

Galloway’s been a hot-head since day one. Determined to take Jack down even when they were half the body weight they are now. Jack hasn’t got a clue what he did to deserve such irritation from the dude, but it’s not his place to question it. As far as he’s concerned, they’re on equal grounds and Jack only answers to Wakefield.

“You gotta show me how you move like that.” Burn’s groans from the showerhead to Jack’s right.

Jack lifted an eyebrow, soaping down his left pec, “I boxed back in highschool, I just carried it over into the service.”

“Shit, really?”

Jack shrugged one shoulder, “I can show you some of the moves, but we won’t be boxing Omnic’s.” 

“True.” Sangria muttered darkly from behind Jack. 

“Takes some serious ammunition to take those bad boys out.” Burn’s informed, tossing his soap back into its rightful shelf, “Heard we might get access to the pulse rifles.”

“No way.” Sangria snorted, “Alpha squad maybe, Reyes can get his squad  _ anything _ but we’re too far down the totem pole for a gun that fancy.”

Jack left them to their arguments about guns and got dressed to watch the rest of the fights. He pulls on his causal digi’s, runs a hand through hair to make sure it’s not sticking straight up, and laces up his boots.

By they time he makes it back out into the gym, Reyes is in the ring.

Jack sidled up to one of the posts where his own squad leader is standing and watches. 

Reyes is just shucking off his shirt when Jack gets comfy, a new soldier ducking under the rope to join their commanding officer. This one looks nervous, fists a little shaky as they rise into a fighting stance.

“Alright, Roberts, watch your footwork and try not to trip this time.” Gabriel’s grin is predatory.

Jack’s insides shivered at the sight of it, however inappropriate it is. He watched the muscles under Gabe’s skin shift as he circled the new soldier.

Gabe doesn’t fight like Jack, or hell, like anyone Jack knows.

His footwork is almost a glide, like smoke across the ground as he eludes the soldiers punches. That big body twists and evades, pulling just out of reach long enough to confuse and disorient, before striking where they least expect it. 

Jack can’t help but wonder how his own fighting style would compliment Gabe’s. Or perhaps they’ll just clash, which explains why the Commander decided to put them on separate squads.

During the trial period, Jack had been sure once they were through with the injections, that he’d be assigned to Gabe’s unit. Hell, he’d been counting on it. Gabe would be an extraordinary leader and not that Wakefield wasn’t a sturdy role model, but Jack wanted to be under Gabriel’s firm hand.

In more ways than one.

Which he supposed was a good thing, considering he probably  _ shouldn’t _ be wanting to fraternize with any of the commanding officers.

But when has Jack ever followed the rules?

  
  


\----

 

Gabriel rides the adrenaline high from fighting all the way through the compound and into his quarters. He settles in for a shower in his private bathroom, awarded to all unit commanders, and relaxes under the warm spray.

His relaxation is ruined by a sharp knock on the door.

Gabe angrily snatches a towel and wraps it around his waist. If it’s one of his squad members he’s going to hang someone outside by their  _ toes _ -.

It’s not any of his unit at the door, it’s Jack.

Jack, who by the look of it, is dressed for a night on the town, not lights out. Complete with a pale blue shirt stretched across his new, massive chest and weathered jeans. Gabe’s so busy swallowing back the urge to drag Jack in by the front of said shirt, he completely misses the words coming out of Morrison’s mouth.

“Come again?” Gabe squints.

Jack’s grin widens, “I’m hungry. Wanna sneak out and get something to eat?”

Gabriel starts quoting at least five different regulations in his head, all of them forbidding lower ranking soldiers from leaving the compound until the experiment was complete. He has them poised on the tip of his tongue, ready to lash out at Jack and assert his authority, but what comes out is:

“I’m not wearing any clothes.”

Jack’s eyes rake down his dripping frame and he gives a soft hum, “I noticed.”

“I’ll just-.” Gabe clears his throat, jerking a thumb towards his closet, “Get dressed.”

Jack’s eyes sweep back up to meet Gabe’s, “I’ll be right here.”

And sure enough, once Gabe’s tugged on a red shirt and dark jeans,(And tried to talk himself out of doing this at least fifty times) Jack is still waiting on the other side of the door. 

Jack knows exactly how to sneak out of the compound without getting caught. Gabriel is almost impressed, but the authoritative side of him is taking note of how well used the escape route is. Seems Jack isn’t the only soldier sneaking out when they’re not supposed to.

They end up grabbing hot dogs from a street vendor near the waterfront. Jack gets mustard on his shirt and grins when Gabriel laughs at him. It’s the most fun Gabe’s had in  _ years _ . All this time, Jack’s been this untouchable golden boy that Gabe’s watched from afar. Now, Jack drags him down to a makeshift beach and urges him to put his feet in the water. He touches Gabe’s arm when they walk and his voice is a rough reminder that not everything from the serum came out perfect. Gabe still enjoys the sound of it anyway.

Jack sneaks him back in well past curfew and Gabe suggests dropping Jack at his room first.

“I can use a curfew check as an excuse.” Gabe notes as they near Jack’s room.

Jack keys in his code and only gets halfway through the door before turning back around, “Thanks for coming out with me.”

Gabe needs to say good bye and go to his own room. 

“Why me?” He asks.

Jack’s shoulders relax, “I got tired of only watching you and wishing we could be friends.” 

“Not a good idea to make friends with your soldiers.” Gabe informs, “We’re commanders first and foremost.”

“I know.” Jack replies softly, “I expected you to turn me in.”

Gabe didn’t even think of that. He was too busy wanting to be Jack’s friend too.

“Been awhile since I’ve gotten out of here.” Gabe says, “Thanks for the date, Morrison.” He gives Jack a casual wave and turns to head for his room, leaving Jack wide-eyed in his doorway.

  
  


\----

  
  


They end up being best friends.

The omnic crisis comes and goes in a rush of angry colors and sounds. Jack fights at his side, brilliant and golden and fierce. He tears omnics apart with his bare hands and keeps his teammates morale high. Gabriel slinks around like a panther and drags Omnics into the shadows or guns them down from behind. 

He finds out that their fighting styles are a perfect contrast. What Jack lacks in stealth, Gabe makes up for and vice versa. They are the perfect fighting unit. Unstoppable.

They lose Wakefield, Singer, and numerous others. 

In the end, Jack and Gabe are the only reminders that the soldier enhancement program even existed.

The world mourns the loss of humans and omnics alike.

  
  


\----

  
  


Months before Overwatch is formed, Gabriel takes Jack on a recreation of their first ‘date’. They’ve both been recovering from the loss of their squads and every other soldier out on the battlefield. It’s nice to see Jack's smile, even if it’s at a hotdog of all things. 

That night, Gabriel finds out that Jack fucks the same way he fights; dirty and fast and  _ intense. _ Whereas Gabe wants to stroke over thick curves and savor every second of Jack’s body arching under him. He wants Jack weak and useless afterwards, he wants to leave bruises seared into pale skin and he wants Jack to  _ beg. _

Instead, Jack  _ devours _ him. His fingers are hurried and his moans are desperate.

It’s the first time Gabriel has ever seen Jack take and demand and snarl at him.

It’s also the moment Gabriel realizes he never wants to fight opposite of Jack.

  
  


\----

  
  


On the day Jack is named Strike Commander of Overwatch, Gabriel had never felt so proud. He’s relieved as well, the burden of running an organization as big as Overwatch wasn’t in the stars for him, but Jack wore it well.

Jack stood in front of their friends, family, the eyes of the world, and took that mantle with a wide smile and a clasping of hands.

A party followed, full of drink and food, Gabe watched from the edges as Jack played the room. He was  _ perfect _ for this position. He knew how to command an audience and get shit done. People gravitated to him, to the smile, the crinkle in his eyes when he smiled.

Gabe needed more room to move around. Less rules to keep him from doing what was required to get the job done.

He finds Gabriel at one point, two glasses of champagne in hand. Gabe takes one from him and it tastes cool and crisp on the tongue, sweet at the tail. Jack’s eyes are vibrant blue and squinted in a smile, his mouth as well. He tugs Gabriel into a secluded corner and kisses the flavor of strawberry champagne out of his mouth. Whispers that he has a bigger room now and would be more than happy to share the vast expanse of his new bed with Gabriel.

Gabriel can’t say no to Jack.

So he they part just long enough to say goodnight to the guests and come back together in the watchpoint hallway.

Jack’s laugh is chest deep and rough as he pulls Gabriel towards his room.

Gabriel follows willingly. 

He loves Jack well that night. Branding praise and congratulations into Jack’s skin with his mouth, his teeth, his fingers. He leaves bruises on Jack’s hips, breathes his name like a prayer.

In the morning, Jack rolls over and offers him his own section of Overwatch.

“You like the shadows? You want to operate under the radar?” Jack mutters, “I’m willing to give you that power.”

Excitement crawls into his chest and nestles there, leaving him grinning at Jack like a loon.

“But you report to me.” Jack clears his throat, “I can’t protect you if you don’t talk to me.”

“Jackie.” Gabe huffs, “You’re the only person I’d ever answer to.”

  
  


\----

  
  


Jack can’t say no to Gabriel.

Not when even when Gabriel slammed a file on his desk and demanded to have this new recruit brought into Blackwatch.

Jack flips through the file, frowning, “He’s  _ seventeen. _ ”

“Yea and fixing to end up in prison for the rest of his life.” Gabriel jams a finger into Jesse McCree’s mugshot photo, “He’s a damn good shot and the kids known for being covert.”

Jack rubs at his temple and follows it by shoving his hand through his hair, “This is big. He’s underage. That kind of publicity would put us in hot water.”

“I know you can spin this right.” Gabe insists, “If anyone can do it, you can.”

Jack’s hand wavers as he signs off on it. Gabe kisses him before he leaves, promises to be in bed at a semi-decent hour.

Jack watches him go.

 

\----

 

Jesse McCree ends up being a hell of good gamble. Gabriel has sharp eye in picking his squad, Jack notices over the next few months. He pulls in multiple prospects, sets them right on Jack’s desk for review and all but three are approved.

Jack doesn’t ask what Gabriel does. Not unless it’s an official sanctioned mission from up high. He makes sure Blackwatch stays out of the wind of the press, keeps it hush-hush among the other members of Overwatch.

Sure, Jesse and Gabriel mingle with Lena, Angela, Ana. However, no one reveals missions and as far as Jack’s concerned, as long as they keep it that way, he doesn't give a shit about interdepartmental criss cross.

Gabriel runs a tight squad, keeps his men in line, bends the rules just enough to stay out of trouble. Jack’s comfortable with that.

Which is why when Angela brings him Genji Shimada, Jack knows just where to put a kid as angry and bitter as him.

Gabe seems surprised when Jack tosses the file in front of him.

He opens it slowly, much in the same way Jack did years ago with McCree, “This the kid I picked up in Hanamura?”

“Yep.” Jack props his hip up against the desk, “Angela just released him.”

Gabe lifts an eyebrow, “I thought he was dead.”

“Mostly dead.” Jack points out, “Angela’s been working pretty hard on it. Moira put in her own design ideas, but they were a bit-.” Jack makes a tilting motion with his hand, “Advanced for someone with such a large state of mutilation.”

And that’s exactly what it was.  _ Mutilation _ .

Jack had seen the original photos.

“Well, he’s a Shimada. Think he’ll give us anything on his clan?” Gabriel leans back in his chair, fingers tapping on the armrest.

“Not right away.” Jack hums, “Angela said his older brother Hanzo is responsible for the damage.”

“Jesus.” Gabe curses, eyes falling closed.

“But he’s being stubborn.” Jack grins, leaning forward, “That’s where you come in.”

One of Gabe’s dark eyes opens, he smirks, “You sneaky shit.”

Jack shrugs, “If you can tame Jesse’s wild ass, I assume you can whip Shimada into gear and get him back on his feet.”

Gabe slaps him with the file, “Get out of my office Jack, you sign this already?”

Jack pushes away from the desk, still smiling, “Of course I did. I’m nothing if not efficient.”

Gabe snorts, “That’s one way to put it.”

Jack pauses at the door, “We still on for dinner?”

“Yep.” Gabe is flipping through Genji’s file again, “Send the new kid in.”

“You got it.”

  
  


\----

  
  


Years pass and Gabriel watches Jack’s hair lighten, the gold fading slowly. He’s never in bed before midnight and there’s a taut line in the arch of his shoulders. But he still smiles at Gabriel, still stands up for him with Blackwatch needs him to. Makes sure that Gabriel’s nose is clean and his record untainted.

Except something’s off.

_ Wrong _ .

Gabriel sees it in the mirror one morning.

Jack’s pulling on his signature blue coat, getting read for the day. There are lines starting to form at the corners of his eyes, crinkling when he smiles. 

But Gabriel-

He runs a hand over the smooth lines of his face, eyebrows furrowed. His hair is still black, even buzzed down as tight as it is.

Jack presses a kiss to his bare shoulder, mutters something about seeing him at lunch and leaves the room to start the day.

It’s right then and there that Gabriel sees the striking difference between them in their bathroom mirror.

He’s not  _ aging. _

Fear curls like bile in his throat and his chest grows tight, painful. He leans over the sink and tries not to stare into the mirror again.

His first stop that morning is Angela.

He clears Moira from the room, who leaves with an upturned nose and a mumbled air of irritation, but Gabriel can’t trust her just yet. So he turns to Angela, who gives him a bright smile and ushers him over for a cup of coffee.

“I need you to run some tests.” Gabe says.

Angela frowns, “Blood tests? Are you feeling bad?”

“No.” He clears his throat, “I need to know exactly what the serum did to me.”

Angela glances away for a moment, then back at him, “That is an extraordinarily invasive type of test, Gabriel.” She waves a hand, “It requires testing your DNA, RNA, the levels of hormones and chemicals in your bloodstream. They would never sign off on that type of request.”

Jack will.

Gabe  _ knows _ Jack will.

He stands up, “I’ll get what you need from Jack.”

“Gabe.” She reaches out, hand wrapping cool around his wrist, “Not even Jack has that type of pull. The soldier enhancement program’s files are for _top_ _secret_ clearance only.”

Gabe pulls his wrist away, “I need to do this.”

“Why?” She stands up now, shoulders back, “Why would you want to do something so invasive? The serum did what it was meant to do, you and Jack are damn near invincible.”

“I’m not  _ aging _ .” Gabriel snarls.

She jerks back, eyes him from head to foot, “How would you-.”

Gabriel snaps a hand angrily in the direction of Angela’s door, “Jack’s got-.” He touches his hair, “He’s going grey, he’s got laugh lines already for fuck’s sake and me, I haven’t aged.”

“That’s silly.” She smiles softly, “Gabriel, having good genes isn’t a crime.”

He leaves angry.

Walks into Jack’s office angry.

Jack says the same thing as Angela.

_ Having good genes isn’t a crime, Gabe. _

  
  


\----

  
  


Gabe doesn’t bring it up again. He festers. Denied at every turn.

He  _ hates _ watching Jack fall under the weight of Overwatch, the press, _ PETRAS _ .

The day Jack fires Moira, Gabriel finds her on the tarmac. She’s packed to fly, flaring hot with temper and cursing Jack Morrison’s name to hell and back. 

He offers her a job, without red-tape, without barriers.

“I only ask one favor.” He holds out his hand and she eyes it with a sneer.

“And what is that?”

“I need you to run some tests.”

 

\----

  
  


Jesse leaves a year later. Genji takes on his new body and runs off to find himself.

Gabriel is left alone in his quarters, watching his flesh disintegrate into black smoke. There’s a throbbing in his temple and Moira’s laugh sharp in his ears. The memory of him snarling at her, asking her what she’d done to him, is still fresh.

He curls his smoking fingers around the edge of his sink and  _ knows _ he can’t tell Jack.

Not this time.

Jack can’t save him this time.

  
  


\----

  
  


Jack knew he couldn’t hide Gabriel forever.

Blackwatch is smeared all over the news and Jack’s phone is ringing, shrill and horrible, to his right. Gabriel refuses to speak to him, holed up in his room or tucked away wherever the Blackwatch members hide. 

Jack rubs at his temples where a headache forms, potent and painful. He slouches in his chair and wonders where he went wrong.

He should have been firmer with Gabe. Should have made sure nothing slipped up.

Jack hadn't been careful enough and now Blackwatch was completely defunct. Gabriel’s carefully chosen unit was crumbling.

And like a building, when the bottom goes out, the rest comes tumbling down.

Unfortunately for Jack, he isn’t prepared for it to be quite so literal.

\----

  
  


All those years ago, Gabriel would have done anything to find out what it was like to fight opposite of Jack Morrison. He spent the better part of his life watching Jack fight with his fists and his words. He watched Jack stand at his side and fight everything in their way, tearing down walls, anything that could hinder the mission.

Nothing could stop them.

_ Nothing _ .

Except for one of them.

Gabriel forgets that the reason they are where they are now, is because he made a choice. He turned his back on Jack, who in turn, crumbled under the pressure and collapsed with the headquarters in Zurich.

The man walking towards him now, body hunched and fists clenched, is not the man Gabriel spent thirty years in love with.

This man reeks of sweat and booze, anger and resentment pours off of him in waves. His signature pulse rifle is abandoned on the ground behind him. He stalks towards Gabriel like a predator and even through the bright red of his visor, Gabriel can feel his stare.

He takes the fist to the side of his face like a champ. His body repairs the damage, smoke pealing out from under his now cracked mask.

Jack hits  _ hard _ .

Gabriel snarls at him and snaps out to return the punch. Jack dodges, shoulders him in the chest and even through the kevlar, he can feel the brunt force of Jack’s body. 

Gabe allows his body to stay solid for this fight.

He’s been waiting  _ years _ for it.

He wants it to be brutal,  _ bloody _ , he wants Jack on the ground begging him to stop.

Instead, it’s a dance.

They know one another too well, know the bodies attached to the fists. Gabriel knows how Jack moves, how he breathes during a fight, how he pumps his right fist twice before flaring out for the next shot.

Jack knows exactly how he evades. How Gabriel’s footwork keeps him light, out of reach, just long enough for him to put Jack on his ass.

But he  _ can’t _ , because Jack already knows.

It’s as infuriating as it is attractive.

Anger bleeds like an open wound as they dance around each other. Gabe’s smoke covers the ground around them, shielding their reunion from the view of any passerby.

Jack’s sweating at the temples and his breathing is growing harsh in his chest from age, his body struggling even with the serum.

Gabriel’s never aged. He wants to laugh, dark and victorious, in Jack’s face. He wants Jack to know that he  _ won _ , that everyone who ignored him is going to pay for what he’s become. What he had to become to find out the  _ truth. _

He pulls out his shotguns just as Jack’s footwork retreats for another reset.

White eyebrows drop below the visors edge and before Gabe can level them at Jack’s chest, Jack’s red-gloved hands dart out and snatch his wrists.

Gabriel could smoke out easily, appear behind Jack and leave him injured and broken the same way he’d done in Egypt. He could watch Jack fall to his knees again, blood running down his back, and defeat in his posture.

Jack just holds him there, fingers tight around his wrists. The smoke settles around them and Gabe stares down into the bright red below.

For one startling second, he wishes he could see Jack’s eyes.

Just one last time, just one more-

“You never did fight fair.” Jack scoffs.

Gabriel sneers, even though Jack can’t see it, “Ever the boy scout, thinking the whole world is just going to follow the rules.”

Jack growls, “You know damn well I didn’t follow the rules, Gabriel.” His fingers tighten, “I broke every rule in the book keeping you out of trouble.”

“You want a reward, Jack?” He hisses, “For babysitting me?”

Jack shoves him backwards and his boots scrape across the ground with the force of it.

“I would have done anything for you!” Jack’s voice wavers, bitter with aging vocals and ruined from booze, “It was never  _ babysitting _ , you were the best soldier I knew. Blackwatch was just as important, if not more so, than Overwatch. You did what we couldn’t and I let you.”

Jack gave them _too_ _much_ freedom.

That confession sits acrid in his mouth, poised to spill, but Gabe’s pride won’t allow it.

“When I needed you most, you turned your back on me.” Gabriel leans down, angry, furious, “You, Angela, the men who signed your paycheck didn’t think my request was  _ humane. _ ”

“It wasn’t.” Jack snaps.

“It was  _ my _ humanity at stake!” Gabriel snarls, “I had every right to know why!”

“Because the serum slowed down your  _ aging _ ?” Jack shakes him, “What was so bad about that?”

“ _ I wanted to grow old with you! _ ”

Jack flinches, his grip loosening just a hair. 

The fury in Gabriel’s chest intensifies, swirling like a dark cloud. He can feel the smoke pouring out of him, reacting to the distress, the confession he never wanted to voice. Not out loud, not to Jack. Not to anyone.

All he’d wanted was to retire with Jack. To hand Overwatch and Blackwatch down the line and steal Jack away. Where they could go grey and old  _ together. _ It’s all he ever wanted, from the first time he brought Jack to bed, to the last night he pressed a kiss to Jack’s heart. From that stupid hot dog date on the waterfront, to the last day he stared into Jack’s eyes when the walls came down on them.

He’d only ever wanted Jack.

“Look where your choices put us, Gabriel.” Jack croaks.

“You drove me to this.” Gabriel replies, “If you had just listened, then I wouldn’t have-.”

Jack shakes his head, tightens his grip again, “I  _ loved _ you, Gabriel.” He takes a step closer, visor tilted up, “It wouldn’t have mattered if you looked the same for the rest of our lives, it would still have been  _ you _ .”

“It mattered to me.” Gabriel snaps.

So much that it tore them apart.

So much, that Jack’s old bones could never rest, because Gabriel was still out there, trying to ruin the world.

“It’s too late for us.” Jack’s hands fall away, “Isn’t it?”

Gabriel levels a shotgun at Jack’s chest. He swears he can feel Jack’s sad, tortured gaze behind the beam of his visor. He doesn't  _ care. _

“There is no  _ us _ .”

He pulls the trigger.

  
  


\----

  
  


“Did you take care of it this time?” Akande stares at him from across the table, arms crossed over his massive chest.

“Of course I did.” Gabe scoffs, shoving past him, “Don’t insult me.”

“Hmph.” He can feel Akande's gaze following him through the room, “I was beginning to wonder if your sentimentality would get the best of you.”

“It didn’t.”

He slams the door behind him.

Gabe finds Sombra in her room, feet up on her desk and filing at her nails. Her head tips back at him when he enters.

“Shut the door.” She waves the nail file at him and he does as he’s told.

She spins around in her chair, “That was no easy task, you know.”

“Did you do what I asked or not?” He hisses.

“Of course I did.” She cackles, spinning back around to her computer. One purple nailed finger presses a button and the screen lights up with the alley where he last saw Jack.

His entire body flinches as he watches Jack go down from the shotgun blast. Blood runs red through the dirt and the flaring pain from Jack’s shout still echoes in his ears. 

Gabe watches as he lowers the guns, looks up at the camera and nods. Then he helps Jack up against the building, digging frantically for a spare biotic grenade from his belt. He remembers Jack laughing, questions falling from his blood-stained mouth. 

_ What are you doing, Gabriel? _

Gabriel watches him shove his mask up in the fuzzy footage, cupping Jack’s heads between his hands-

_ Making sure their will be another chance for us. _

“Destroy the end of it.” Gabriel orders, “Show the council the rest. Soldier 76 is dead.”

Sombra grins, “It’ll be my pleasure, Gabbi.”

  
  
  


End

  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Recent lore drops have given me new life.


End file.
